Wayne High School plays Russell High School in the St. Joe Invitational on Feb. 25, 1989.

The tournament was born in 1978 after the West Virginia State Catholic Basketball Tournament, which began in 1936, disbanded in 1977.

The tournament is known for colorful student skits and crowd participation.

2012 is the final year for the St. Joe Invitational at the Veterans Memorial Field House, which will be demolished to make way for a $5.4 million soccer complex for Marshall University. The tournament is set for Wednesday-Saturday, Jan. 18-21.

We will scan and post a few galleries from past tournaments at www.Herald-Dispatch.com. (Please note that we have not shot all of the games through the years.)

Reprints of these photos are available. Find the photo you would like to purchase, then click "Purchase this photo" underneath it. Prices are $6 for a 4x6, $11 for a 5x7 and $15 for an 8x10. There are also bigger photo sizes and framing options, if you would be interested.